27 September 2005

Dundee hosts meeting of Central Asian Water Ministers

PRESS/PHOTOCALL - 6 PM, WEDNESDAY SEPTEMBER 28th, DUNDEE CITY CHAMBERS, CIVIC RECEPTION FOR INTERNATIONAL DELEGATES.

Ministers and senior government officials from eight Central Asian states will gather at the University of Dundee this week to discuss one of the most pressing issues in the area - the sharing of water resources.

Demands for water in the area have been rising at the same time as the main body of water - the Aral Sea - has been diminished. At the meeting in Dundee - which runs from Wednesday Sept 28th to Friday 30th - the countries will discuss the role of water law in managing their international and national water resources.

The countries represented at the international meeting are Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.

The meeting is being convened under the auspices of the Global Water Partnership and will be chaired by Dr Patricia Wouters, Director of the International Water Law Research Institute at the University of Dundee, and Dr Vadim Sokolov, Central Asian Director of the Global Water Partnership.

"This is a major coup for Dundee and reinforces our position on the map as the global focal point for discussions on international water resources management issues, with water law as a catalyst for co-operation," said Dr Wouters.

"The serious challenges in Central Asia, where the Aral Sea has been severely diminished, and where demands for water is ever increasing, can be addressed with the reform of water laws at the national and international levels.

"We expect the meeting to provide a catalyst for peace in the region, bringing together national leaders in the water resources management field. Scotland provides a welcome forum to discuss water resources issues."

Finland's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, one of the main drivers behind the Global Water Partnership, will also be represented at the meeting, as will UNESCO.

The IWLRI at the University of Dundee is a founding member of UNESCO HELP (Hydrology for the Environment, Life and Policy) and the Universities Partnership for Transboundary Waters.

NOTES TO EDITORS

The aim of the IWLRI is to develop and share knowledge and expertise in international and national water law and policy so that all citizens, especially the most disadvantaged, have equitable and sustainable access to the worlds water.

By Roddy Isles, Head of Press 01382 344910, out of hours: 07968298585, r.isles@dundee.ac.uk